


Zutara Week Compilation

by MakoEyedLady



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-07-28 16:38:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7648492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakoEyedLady/pseuds/MakoEyedLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A compilation of past (and possibly future) one-shots I have done for Zutara Week. Not complete weeks, as I have done some drawings for certain days or just forgot about Zutara week a few years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awkward

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender of any of its respective characters, nor do I own Resident Evil 5.

To say this situation wasn’t awkward would be so completely off the mark that you’d be in outer space. It was something totally innocent, and we really tried to explain that to Sokka. My brother wasn’t buying it, if the look on his face was any inclination. Perhaps I should describe what Sokka is seeing and you can jump to conclusions yourself. Here I am, straddling my best friend Zuko, on my bed. Yup, you can see how bad this looks. Now I’m going to have to explain to you how we ended up in this…compromising position.  
I met up with Zuko in our normal place after class so that I can catch a ride home with him. We both had writing projects due at the end of the week and, as I already had completed mine over the weekend; I offered to help Zuko because writing is definitely not his strong point. We often went to one or the other’s house to do homework; it has been a ritual since middle school. We’ve been best friends for five years now; we even managed to avoid the awkwardness of freaking each other out while going through puberty. He hadn’t even freaked out the first time I had gotten my period. He paled greatly, but he soldiered through it. Thoroughly impressive for a barely-teenage-boy, let me tell you. Sokka fainted.

  
I climbed into Zuko’s old Chevy pickup; we were joking and laughing like usual. The ride to my house wasn’t overly long, but the dread of a writing project seemed to make Zuko drive slower than normal. I teased him about it, and he just grumbled. I love making fun of him, but I knew that he’d get me back sooner or later… and you know what they say about paybacks. Oh well, it was too much fun to worry about that right now. He parked at the curb in front of our house, knowing that we would likely be more than a few hours working on the project, leaving the driveway open for my dad when he got home. Sokka was already home, Mondays being the days he only had two periods in the morning. I motioned Zuko up to my room while I made a detour to get a couple of sodas for us in the kitchen. Sokka waved to me from the living room, where he was sitting on his butt playing Resident Evil 5.

  
The first hour was difficult, because we had to come up with something for Zuko to actually write about, something he should’ve done last week. We settled on a topic as we polished off our sodas and he ran down to get more. I looked at his handwriting, it was horrendous. Thank God his English teacher preferred having things typed up instead of written out. I didn’t hear Zuko enter the room, he has this uncanny ability to be as silent as the grave when he wants to be. He pressed the cold soda can against the base of my neck, causing me to jump. I gave him the worst glare I could. I launched myself at him and we started to tussle, all in good fun. We tripped and fought to keep our balance. I took advantage of the situation and began to tickle him mercilessly. Zuko is extremely ticklish, something he had told me years ago and I took advantage of that every chance I could get. We ended up on the bed, and I ended up sitting on his stomach. Zuko says I get an evil glint in my eye when I’m about to go after his most ticklish spot, which accounted for the fearful look in Zuko’s eyes. I reached under his shirt and began to tickle his ribs. He yelped—a higher pitch than I had heard since his voice had changed. I laughed all the harder.

  
And that is when Sokka showed up. Zuko had left the door open in an attempt to be sneakier, so Sokka had an easy view of the situation. We tried to tell him what was actually going on, that I was simply tickling Zuko as a torture for the cold soda can on my neck. Like I said before, he didn’t believe us. Sokka shook his head, looking as if he was in a daze and simply left the room. Zuko and I looked at each other.

  
“Well, that was awkward.” He grumbled. I just laughed.


	2. Legend

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender of any of its respective characters.

 

            There were people that simply did not believe that the hundred year war had been ended by a group of children, even if one of the children had been the Avatar. The feats they performed were legendary, something children could never accomplish, in their eyes. High ranking officials attended the first anniversary of the war’s end; many of them stared at Team Avatar. Sokka was recounting their practices against the Melon Lord, earning laughs from some of the less stiff officials. Sokka waved Zuko and Katara over to him.

            “These two made up what I like to call our ‘liquidy-hot offense.’ You wouldn’t believe how in sync these two are. It’s like they are two halves of the same whole. You know that yin-yang thing?” Sokka blabbed, “I’m telling you, if those two ever hooked up their kids would kick some serious butt.”

            It was then that Katara and Zuko realized that Sokka was drunk. Katara took a page from her brother’s book and face-palmed. Zuko looked mortified, mostly because he had fantasized about the same thing a time or two. Zuko frantically looked for Suki and found her talking with Ty Lee. He made a beeline for the girls, earning himself a glare from Katara who thought he was abandoning her.

            “You’ll have to excuse my brother; he doesn’t hold his liquor well.” Katara apologized to the officials, a blush on her face as her brother continued to rant on about what he thought she and Zuko’s kids might be like. She tried to lead him away, her idea being to rendezvous with Zuko now that she realized he hadn’t abandoned her and was trying to get Suki.

            Zuko reached Suki and Ty Lee when he heard Toph’s raucous laughter. His eyes were drawn to the direction of her outburst and saw none other than the bounty hunter Jun. How had she got an invitation? His uncle was the most likely culprit. He explained the situation to Suki, waited for her to finish laughing, and dragged her to Sokka. Zuko felt nervous, he hadn’t seen his girlfriend for some time. Where was Mai? As if Sokka’s big mouth wasn’t bad enough, he had lost his girlfriend. Katara sent him a thankful glance as Zuko presented Suki to her brother. However, Katara’s gaze slipped past him. He turned to look over his shoulder and saw Toph and Jun standing behind him. Toph smiled sinisterly, Jun looking highly amused.

            “So, did you make up with your girlfriend yet?” Jun asked sweetly, her eyes flickering to Katara.

            “She’s not my girlfriend.”

            “I’m not his girlfriend.”

            Toph cackled, and the world seemed to focus on them. “Seriously, by now my powers of observation should be legend. Why did your heartbeat pick up, Zuko?”

            “B-because I have no idea where Mai is! And I do not want to find myself doing an impression of a pincushion.” Zuko whispered urgently.

            “Uh huh. Somehow I’m not sure that’s the entire truth.” Toph replied mercilessly, “What? Don’t want Sokka to know you have the hots for his sister?”

            Silence. Sokka’s drunk brain was analyzing what Toph had just said. Katara’s eyes darted around the room, looking for Mai and Aang. Why weren’t they here? Both of them should be here. It clicked. Jun and her shirshu most likely had something to do with the absence of Mai and Aang. She and Toph had plotted this. Perhaps there was someone else involved. Iroh was grinning far too much over there to be completely innocent. Had he been that close to them before? Katara doubted, as he seemed to be attempting to inconspicuously make his way toward them.

Sokka started sputtering, his thoughts finally beginning to connect with his mouth. “You like my sister?” He asked after trying several times to get the words out.

            “No.” Zuko said calmly.

            “I can tell you’re lying.” Toph said in her sing-song voice.

            Iroh erupted in laughter. Katara blushed as she looked at Zuko, the Fire Lord looking like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. People were watching them intently. Iroh put his arm around his nephew when he finally reached him, and then pulled Katara under his other arm.

            “You see, my dear Katara. I had to do something, or else my shy nephew would never have confessed.” Iroh explained.

            “I haven’t confessed anything, uncle.” Zuko hissed.

            “Nephew, come now,” Iroh admonished, “Don’t tell me that you could be so heartless as to say that you haven’t thought Katara was beautiful at one time or another.”

            “Uncle, I swear that I will burn down your tea shop.”

            Sokka looked confused. Was Iroh, the legend known as the Dragon of the West, trying to set his sister up with Zuko? Both of them were in separate relationships. Mai was no good for Zuko, he needed someone more lively. Katara was lively! Sokka nodded to himself, causing Suki to look at him worriedly. Aang was far too childish for Katara, she practically mothered him in their relationship. Yeah, she needed someone older. Zuko was older than Katara!

            “I’ve decided!” Sokka announced, everyone looking at him as if he had grown another head. “What? Anyway, I have decided that Katara and Zuko should get together. I mean, liquidy-hot offense. We can call them… ZUTARA! Yeah, Zutara. I’m fully Team Zutara.”

            Katara twitched, vowing never to let Sokka get near liquor again. Zuko was analyzing how exactly he would burn down the Jasmine Dragon without starting another war. Katara would never admit it, but if she hadn’t been against Zuko at the time the line “I’ll save you from the pirates” might have been sexy. Zuko remembered that the first time Jun had called Katara his girlfriend he hadn’t corrected her.

            Jun patted Toph on the shoulder. The two of them would become legends in their own rights, being two of the three that had managed to bring Zuko and Katara together. Everyone had learned a lesson, at least. Never let Jun. Toph and Iroh plot anything.


	3. Mask

Disclaimer: I don’t own Avatar: The Last Airbender of any of its respective characters.

            

 

            Somewhere in the world, there must be an unspoken rule. This rule requires beings to don masks at a certain age to maintain appearances for society. Children have no such masks; they simply do not care for propriety or pretentious mannerisms. At galas such as the one currently being held, masks are held much tighter than normal. Behind those firmly held masks lurks a tension thicker than a dragon’s hide. This night no one has a firmer hold on his or her mask than Firelord Zuko does. He laughs, smiles and feigns interest. He wishes to be anywhere but here.

 

A young woman in blue robes walks by on the arm of Avatar Aang and for an instant his mask slips, pain reaching his eyes. The woman has been struggling the night to keep her mask in place. Her smiles never quite made it to her eyes. Tears were pooling in those oceanic eyes before her hand dashed them away. Her hands had become too used to dashing tears away. The couple stops to converse with a regal looking man, who has news concerning some obscure town in the Earth Kingdom. The Katara’s mind drifts miles away.

 

Avatar Aang knows Katara is here for no more than the sake of appearance. Their relationship ended nearly a year ago, though even now they were sure no one knew. The Earth Kingdom official was now commenting on how lovely the two of them were looking together, how wonderful that they had found true love at such a young age. Aang winces internally at just how wrong the man was. There was nothing he could do to change the situation, Katara was holding all the Pai Sho tiles and had withdrawn from the game.

 

Katara excuses herself, saying she is not accustomed to the heat of the Fire Nation after having been away from the country for so long, and leaves. Her steps are the proper, small steps befitting a lady until she rounds the corner into the hall. She removes the silken slippers from her feet and sprints away from the gala. Katara passes startled guards as quickly as she can but knows that at least one had seen the tears glistening on her cheeks. Her feet slow as she reaches her destination – the Turtleduck pond Zuko had once showed off to her proudly. Crumpling like a rag doll she found herself kneeling by the pond, sobbing silently in the moonlight.

 

Several guards had indeed seen the tears upon the normally strong Waterbender’s face; one brave soul went running to inform his Lord of the sighting. Firelord Zuko catches the eye of the guard as he enters the banquet hall. He excuses himself from the men he had been talking (listening) to. The guard relays his message quickly, quietly. Zuko asks the man the direction she had been heading; the guard informs him but does not know where she ended up. Zuko knows and thanks the man. He slips away, amazed at how easily he does so.

 

He finds her, shoulders shaking as her body tries to keep the sobs internalized, exactly where he knew she was. The mask he so tightly held to slips away, concern and sympathy etching themselves on his previously false features. Zuko’s footsteps were muffled as he was moving toward her. Seconds passing into eternity as her eyes rose to meet his. She is beautiful, even as she cries with the moon reflecting off the pools in her eyes. Her resolve breaks and she lets a sob escape her lips for the first time. Katara feels his arms around her in that instant, and she pours her heart out to him on the spot. Everything that had been troubling her was now laid bare. He does not judge her, for he himself has been wearing a mask to appease the masses.

That night neither Zuko nor Katara made their way back to their respective rooms. They sat staring up at the sky until it lightened with the dawn. It was a new day, but for that night they were as children – with no masks to hide their feelings.

With the new day changes were arriving. Katara was no longer willing to be some trophy upon Aang’s arm just to please the people around them. Firelord Zuko was calmly saying to a scholar he did not care to know the scholar’s theory as to how belching was akin to opening one’s chakras. Aang felt his ever-present smile falling away, revealing eyes that were far older than his young years and a tired feeling he could no longer keep pushing down.

 

They were no longer the kids who had miraculously defeated Phoenix King Ozai and brought about peace. They were now young adults showing that they had seen too much pain, suffering and death in their short lives. As children they were forced to grow far too quickly, so their unmasked feelings were being bared to the world. It was relieving for them all.

 

Zuko was currently deciding to take Katara on a tour of the city. Imagining the two of them in disguises; meandering their way from stall to stall without a care. He sought her out, finding her quickly and divulging his plans for the day. Katara was smiling at him before he even finished explaining. It was an impulsive act, something like they would have done before ending the war. It was not as extravagant as watching a play about themselves or something as thrilling as hiding right beneath Ozai’s nose before they defeated him. However it was something Katara found herself enjoying. The most important thing for Zuko was seeing her smile. Despite their disguises, they were no longer wearing masks. Holding tightly to Zuko’s hand, Katara vowed to herself – She would fight against the mask society deems that she wear. Now and always.


	4. History

Disclaimer: I don’t own Avatar: The Last Airbender of any of its respective characters.

 

 

_“History is much like an endless waltz; the three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever.” – Mariemaia Khushrenada [Gundam W: Endless Waltz]_

            A small group huddled around a fire pit, their encampment silent. They dared not speak as they spooned thin soup into their mouths. After just a few short years of peace, the world had once again been thrown into strife. Ozai had supporters hidden within major cities in the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. Those supporters had simultaneously committed assassinations of the highest-ranking figures in both countries. Firelord Zuko had barely escaped alive. If Katara hadn’t been visiting him the day the assassination attempt was made, Zuko would have surely died. They had fled that night as fast as Zuko’s injuries would allow them to go. Even with Katara’s healing he had spent a week recovering in a house owned by a White Lotus member. The day Zuko finally emerged from his room on his own, he found Katara and Aang in a heated argument. She blamed Aang for this so-called revolution by Ozai. If he had killed him instead of just taking away his bending, she yelled, a new war wouldn’t be on the cusp of starting. Aang argued and Katara yelled more, and soon the Avatar stormed away. That had been almost a year ago. Katara and Zuko had been initiated into the White Lotus soon after, their job being quick strikes to capture or eliminate key players in Ozai’s army. The week before they had received a new mission from Piandao. The small group around the fire was not their target. No, that wasn’t entirely correct. The man that was to arrive within the hour was their target. The one they waited for was a field general whose job has been to gather the small groups, such as the one they were observing, to create a bigger battalion.

 

            They had decided to take the man before he reached the small group to avoid unnecessary battles. They had gathered as much information on the man as they could in a week’s time. The man was named Xian Whu. He was a Firebender of some skill; he was in his mid thirties whose only family was a brother currently residing on Ember Island. Xian Whu was a mercenary by trade, a heartless killer-for-hire who held his men in check with threats and pain. The two benders waited. Both tensed at the sound of confident footsteps, Xian Whu obviously didn’t expect there to be enemies in this territory. How surprised he was when a vine wrapped itself around his right foot as if on its own. Xian Whu’s eyes traveled to the vine as Zuko burst from the bushes with a well-placed kick to Xian Whu’s kidney. A grunt of pain escaped from Xian Whu as he whipped his head around to see his attacker. With his attention turned to Zuko, Katara rushed from her hiding place to deliver a hard blow to the back of Xian Whu’s knee. A backhanded blow from Zuko sent the man to the ground and Katara knocked him out with a sharp chop to his exposed neck.

 

Zuko bound and gagged the man. He and Katara dragged him away without the group knowing the man was even nearing their encampment. It wasn’t the first time they had done something of this sort, bringing a man back to one of the White Lotus bases to be interrogated. It most certainly wouldn’t be the last, either. They would keep picking off Ozai’s men until the time when one of those men broke and revealed to them the location of Zuko’s father. There would be no mistakes this time; they would kill the man. If it would mean peace for the world again, Zuko would willingly be the one to bloody his hands. It was Zuko’s desire that history not repeat itself, however it felt that as long as there were humans in this world there would always be a war to fight.

 

 

            Katara settled into a cot in the room she shared with Zuko. They were often given temporary beds at the various White Lotus bases they happened to be closest to before they set out on their next mission. She unbraided her hair with practiced ease, running her fingers to remove any knots. She had lost her bone comb on the road during one of their outings and hadn’t quite had the time to replace it. Katara began to undo her black robe, one similar to what she had worn when she and Zuko had gone after Yan Rha. Zuko pushed open the door to their quarters without a knock. Not that Katara cared. The last year they had both seen each other in various stages of undress and had gone past the stage of embarrassment. Katara studied Zuko’s face and noticed just how tired he was looking these days. He was awake more often than he slept, and it worried her. Zuko noticed her scrutiny and gave her a smile in attempt to reassure her. She let her hands fall from undoing her robe and she made her way to where Zuko’s cot sat. Her arms snaked around his waist as she hugged him from behind, her cheek resting against his muscled back. He relaxed at her touch, shoulders sagging as if they carried the weight of the world on them. If one stopped to think, peace for the world was riding on the shoulders of their small victories. Each soldier they captured brought them one step closer to defeating Ozai. Katara hadn’t realized she had started to cry until she felt the cloth of Zuko’s robe become damp. Despite being in the middle of what was threatening to be another large-scale war, the blue-eyed young woman had come to a conclusion.

 

            “I love you.” She whispered, listening to the beat of Zuko’s heart.

 

            “I love you too, Katara.” Zuko replied, the words flowing from his mouth so easily that he wondered why he had never said them before.

 

            For that moment they had found a bit of peace, their own tiny world tucked away from the harshness of reality. Perhaps years from now, in the annals of history this moment would stand out for someone as much as it did for them.


	5. Social Networking

Disclaimer: I don’t own Avatar: The Last Airbender of any of its respective characters. I also do not own Facebook, or World of Warcraft.

 

 

            Zuko Asahi knew he should be at work on the research paper that was due in four days, or some other piece of homework he had been neglecting for the last three hours. Somehow he had found Elder Scrolls Online much more entertaining than his homework, if one could believe that. Facebook and the amusing statuses of his friends were currently holding his attention. Apparently Sokka had ended up in the ER with two fishhooks in his thumb. Ty Lee was once again threatening to run away to the circus to get away from her sisters. Really, who seriously threatened to run away to the circus nowadays? His uncle had sent him an event invitation, celebrating his teashop’s one-year anniversary. Random game requests were promptly ignored. Zuko really didn’t care about farms, cities, cafes or whatever else people spent their free time on. He stared blankly at the homepage when a new notice popped up on the news feed.

 

            _Katara Watters is now single._

 

            Huh. He was her best friend and he had to find out through Facebook. Honestly, Zuko was surprised her relationship with Jet had even lasted this long. How Katara had not seen past the smooth-talking exterior was beyond Zuko. Usually she was sharper than that. He spotted that she was online for chat and he asked her if she was all right. She replied that she would be fine. Would be, being the key words. He asked if he needed to come over, she said no. Katara didn’t want to talk about whatever had happened to cause the sudden breakup. From experience he knew to leave well enough alone for now. She’d talk when she was ready and not a moment before. He reminded her that he was there for her, when she wanted to talk. She thanked him, said she was going to go read. Oh, and that he needed to get off Facebook and do his homework. Damn it.

 

            Katara put on a brave face for school the following day. Zuko had easily seen through the façade that most of the student body didn’t bother to look beneath. She had hugged him tighter than was normal when they parted for their first classes. During English she sighed a lot. She said nothing during lunch, where she would always comment on her brother and his sloppy table manners. Zuko wondered how long she was going to be like this. It turned out to be two weeks before she spoke of what Jet had done to make her break things off with him. The day after that, Jet had shown up to school sporting a black eye and a split lip. Jet wouldn’t admit who had given his new facial accessories to him, but they knew by the glares Zuko sent his way just who had done the damage. Zuko’s wall was plastered with comments about why he had “decorated Jet’s face,” as Haru had so eloquently put it. Zuko replied to Haru. _He got what he deserved, other than that I won’t say._ Sokka commented on how it was an improvement to Jet’s features. Zuko got a chuckle out of that one.

 

            Months had passed since “The Incident.” Those were Katara’s words, not his. Zuko called it the day he punched out Jet for being a douche. Things at school had settled down, Jet avoided Zuko like the plague. Katara joked and laughed; Zuko joked back. All in all, things seemed to be returning to normal. No one really suspected anything, not the growing feelings Katara held for Zuko or the fact that Zuko had had feelings for Katara far longer than he cared to admit. Then came the Sadie Hawkins Dance. Katara wanted to go, to have some fun after months of doing nothing out of the ordinary. Zuko had been asked to the dance by several girls by the time lunch had come about. He had graciously declined in most cases; told one girl to stop being a creeper and go away. Katara munched on her homemade pasta salad as Zuko slid onto the bench next to her with his lunch tray, scooting his banana pudding toward her. Katara thanked him and asked him to the dance in the same breath. Zuko said yes. They had gone to a dance as friends before, why should this one be different? Right? Riiiiiight.

 

Katara had some managed to rope Zuko into dress shopping with her. Sure, the dance was only semi-formal, but Katara wanted his opinion. Sokka tagged along to make sure his sister was dressed appropriately. The saleswoman gushed over the dresses Katara brought to the dressing room. Zuko and Sokka looked bored. Katara entered the dressing room, and the saleswoman practically pounced upon Zuko. She commented on how cute it was that he was dress shopping with his girlfriend. After Sokka laughed for several minutes, Zuko calmly told her that she was mistaken and he was merely her best friend. Sokka laughed harder when the saleswoman asked him if he was gay. Katara walked out of the dressing room in a dark blue, knee-length dress that was cinched in an empire waist with a white bow. Zuko’s brain became disconnected from his mouth and the words _that one_ flew from his mouth without restraint. Zuko mentally face-palmed himself. It was going to be a long week until the dance if his mouth kept that up.

 

The dance went off without a hitch. A cute girl with auburn hair and pretty eyes had asked Sokka, Suki was her name if Katara remembered right. Zuko complained about his lack of dancing skills. Katara called him a liar and made him dance anyway. The night turned out to be fun for the pair, and Zuko thought about how good it was just to see Katara smiling like that again. They left before the dance ended; they wanted to avoid the traffic jam of dozens of high school students leaving the parking lot. Zuko walked Katara to her door like a gentleman. He stuttered out a question, as she was about to enter her home. It took her a moment to puzzle out the string of jumbled words before she realized he had asked her to be his girlfriend. She kissed his cheek and shut the door without giving a proper answer. Zuko, dumbfounded, drove himself back home. He quickly logged onto his Facebook account.

_Katara Watters is now in a relationship._

  


	6. Secret

Disclaimer: I don’t own Avatar: The Last Airbender of any of its respective characters.

 

 Starts out as Katara's POV, then switches to Zuko's.

 

 

            We all hold secrets within our selves. Small ones or large, it makes no difference. The fact of the matter is that we never truly bare our souls completely to another person. That would leave us vulnerable; to have someone know every single thought, feeling, or happening in our lives. One of my secrets would change the way the people who I know would perceive me. I wanted to kill Yan Rha, wanted it more than I have ever wanted something in all my years. I didn’t kill him not because I pitied him; it was because I didn’t want someone else to see me kill him. Somehow I think Zuko knows this, I saw sympathy in his eyes when I walked away. He understands me more than Aang ever did; he’s felt the same things that I’ve felt. I admire him for how strong he is and how he can continue to live life with such confidence. There are times when I cry at night when no one is around. I think Zuko suspected that I cried at night. He gave a stuffed polar bear dog as a gift. He told me that it was for when I felt lonely. I’ve never hugged him tighter than I had that day. It seems like he just knows.

 

            My relationship with Aang had disintegrated within a year and a half after the end of the war. To be honest, I was grateful. I didn’t love him. Who in their right mind could claim to be in love at the age of fifteen? He was only thirteen and talking of marriage. It frightened me. I had tasted freedom and seen the world in helping Aang to master the elements and I wasn’t ready to give that freedom up just yet. That was why the South Pole no longer felt like home. It had grown since the war ended. Some of the Northern Water Tribe members had moved to join with their sister city. It was culture clash at first and I heard the whispers, wondering why I wasn’t married yet, from the Northerners. It angered me, and my bending had lashed out for me. I hadn’t lost control like that since before I had become a master. I felt embarrassed to be scolded by my father with the entire village to hear, like some child that had been naughty. I had refused to apologize, telling my father that if the Northerners couldn’t handle the difference in culture than they should move themselves back to their sexist Northern Tribe. Gran-Gran had given me a nod of approval, and I thought I saw a bit of wistful remembrance in Master Pakku’s eyes. I have a bit of Gran-Gran’s attitude in me.

 

After that incident I traveled the Earth Kingdom for a while. I visited Toph in Gaoling for several months before heading to Ba Sing Se. I stayed with Zuko’s uncle Iroh; I enjoyed my time working in his teashop. I can see where Zuko gets his ability to just know things, because Iroh is even keener at it than he is. Somehow he managed to talk me into visiting Zuko, so that is where I currently am. The Fire Nation truly is beautiful.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

            I am glad that Katara decided to visit. To tell the truth I enjoy her company far more than anyone else’s. Mai hadn’t been too pleased when Katara had shown up, but when is that woman ever pleased? A little secret: If I didn’t want to add stress of a knife-wielding ex-girlfriend at the moment, the two of us wouldn’t be together. She’s never been the touchy feely type, but lately it’s been worse. Her brief kisses are cold and distant, so why doesn’t she just end it already? I’m far too stressed right now. Another reason I am glad for Katara’s presence. Perhaps it’s because her element is water, but she has a calming effect on me. She is a pleasant distraction and so much more. I find myself watching her, not in the stalker-like creepy way, but really appreciating her natural beauty for what it is. Katara is real, grounded.

 

            One of my greatest secrets is that I would never lay my life on the line for Mai. I know that she risked much to save me that time Sokka and I went to the Boiling Rock, but her uncle was the warden. Other than from Azula, was she truly in danger? She had Ty Lee to back her up, someone far more dangerous than she looks. I didn’t even hesitate to take a lightning bolt for Katara. No question, she was far more important than I was. If I had the chance to change anything from that, I wouldn’t have taunted Azula into using her lightning. Not because I’m a coward, but in doing so I put Katara in danger. My whole reason for the Agni Kai was to keep Katara safe. I needed her to be safe. To this day I’m still not sure exactly what my feelings for her are. I know that I do feel something for her. I was completely honest with Sokka when I told him that I cared about what Katara thought of me. Other than my uncle, I have never wanted someone’s approval more.

 

            She and I are currently eating a small lunch by the turtle duck pond, providing a much-needed distraction from the monotonous paperwork. She had just finished her recounting the culture clash, as she calls it, and the scolding she received from her father. I’m not afraid to admit that my respect for Hakoda diminished at that. Katara talked about the other places she would like to visit while she was in the Fire Nation; Ember Island, maybe take a trip to visit Master Piandao. I wanted her to stay here. Her eyes went wide, and it struck me that I had said those words aloud. I hadn’t meant to voice my desire to have her near me. She smiled at me.

 

            _“Then maybe I’ll stay here for a while…”_

 

 

           


	7. Denim

The room was a complete disaster. It was as if her closet has puked all over her room. Katara was not pleased, considering that most of the clothing on her floor was dirty. Apparently her brother had shirked his laundry duties once more. Oh yes, she was far from pleased. All of her pants were dirty. Standing in the middle of her room with nothing but a tank and her panties on, the anger was building.

 

“Aaaaah!” she screamed.

 

Her door burst open, a boy a little older than she stumbled into the room. “What’s wrong Kat---ACK!” he was body-checked out of the door, which promptly slammed in his face.

 

“Sokka, I have told you a MILLION times to knock first.”

 

“But you screamed…” came her brother’s muffled cry from the other side of the door.

 

“Because you didn’t do laundry and I have nothing to wear.”

 

“Yeah, but I hate laundry. You know that.” Sokka shuffled, “What about those jeans that Suki gave you for your birthday?”

 

“…you want me to wear those in public?”

 

“Do you have a choice?”

 

“…good point.”

 

 

Katara looked in the back of her closet, eyeing the light blue denim that Suki claimed would ‘hug her curves’. What curves? Katara thought. She played sports, in her eyes Katara couldn’t imagine herself anywhere close to being curvy. She grabbed them reluctantly and pulled them on, wiggling her feet to the very end. They felt awfully… clingy. Katara’s feet slipped into a pair of blue sandals and she pulled her hair into a low ponytail, her hair loopies loosely hanging about her face.

 

A knock came at her door. She knew it couldn’t be Sokka, despite her warnings he never knocked. “Katara…?” a voice called. The owner of the voice was her brother’s friend, Zuko.

 

“Come in!” Katara called, searching for her necklace.

 

Zuko slowly opened the door, knowing she’d be decent if she said he could come in. “Sokka said you were having clothing iss…issues…” His eyes landed on her backside, and then followed down her legs, as she bent down to retrieve her necklace from where it had fallen from her desk. A blush spread across his cheeks, he always knew Katara had strong legs… but the jeans made them look amazing. “I can see you aren’t uh… having that problem any longer. So I’ll just go now.”

 

Before he could leave and save himself some embarrassment, Katara turned around. Zuko swallowed hard, his face getting hotter and hotter. Katara’s eyes showed with confusion, which slowly turned to realization. The realization brought a blush to her own face.

 

“Y-you… have…” Zuko swallowed again, wondering why he was even talking.

 

Katara took a step forward and then another, followed by a few more until she was standing less than a foot from Zuko. “Why are you blushing…?”

 

“Y-you have nice… legs.” Zuko finished lamely.

 

Katara arched an eyebrow, her cerulean eyes glinting with mischief. She reached up and gave his nose a small flick. Moving past Zuko, she bumped her hip against his with a small laugh. Zuko’s eyes followed her as she walked down the hall. A slow, goofy smile appeared on his face.

 

“Sokka is going to kill me…”


	8. Smug

I hate it when he looks like that. That look of triumph and superiority that I hate. Maybe I just don’t want to be proven wrong; maybe I’m just too competitive… But I hate that look. His golden eyes sparkle, his smug look growing as fast as the one of annoyance I held. I won’t let him beat me again.

“One more challenge.” I called out to him.

“Haven’t we done enough challenges?” He counted on his fingers, “One, I beat you in a fair fight with no bending. Two, I beat you in a foot race. What else can we do?”

“Swim.” I said, smiling.

I watched as his eyebrow raised, a smirk forming on his face. “I’d be an idiot to agree to a contest of swimming with a waterbender. That would be like you challenging me to a fire making contest.” 

“No bending, just straight out swimming. If you beat me, you can ask one thing of me.” I smirked, seeing interest in his eyes. I could hear Sokka groan. Maybe I am a bit competitive.

“And if you win..?” His voice was curious, there was something in it that I couldn’t place.

“I get to ask something of you, and you can’t refuse.”

“Fine.”

 

We picked our way to the water that was pooling itself in an area of the Western Air Temple. By we I mean myself, Zuko and the few others that found our challenges to be entertaining. My father, Aang and Haru were trying to figure out a way to break out the Earthbenders and the men of our Water Tribe. The pool wasn’t that wide, but it would have to do. I stripped down to my wrappings; anything else would hinder my movements. I turned my head to see that Zuko had stripped off his shirt. I saw him look my way, cough and look back at the water. Toph and my brother sat at the other side of the pool; the young Earthbender would be the judge. Whoever touched the other side first would win. The Duke was between Zuko and I, holding a firecracker that would signal our start. The Duke threw the firecracker into the air. POP!

I dove headfirst into the pool. The water was cool against my skin, I felt completely alive as I kicked my legs and my arms almost moved on their own. I can tell you one thing: this pool is a bit longer than I expected. I kick my legs harder, propelling myself forward with all my strength. I stretch my arm out just a bit farther and I feel it come in contact with the ground. I surfaced with a gasp, my lungs feeling ready to explode. I look up to see a smiling Toph, my chest heaving with each breath. 

“SUGAR QUEEN WINS!” She yells, her fists in the air.

I turn to see Zuko as he reaches the shore and pulls himself out of the pool. I quickly follow, standing with my hands on my hips. The sour look on his face must be a mirror of the one I was wearing earlier, and mine a mirror of his. A purely smug look, if ever there was one. 

I watch as he strides forward to stand before me. “You win, Katara.”

“I know.” I reply, “Do you want to know what I want you to do?”

“Fine.” His golden eyes flicker as they narrow slightly.

“I want you to kiss my--!” He cut me off. With a kiss. On my lips. I was going to say feet, knowing Toph would find it amusing and to knock Zuko off his high ostrich-horse. He pulls away from the kiss, my blush deepens. He’s wearing that smug look again.

“I think I’ll let you beat me more often.” He whispers in my ear, “Because I still win.”

Sokka’s yells and threats echoed loudly in the background.


	9. Cobalt Blue

Standard disclaimers apply. I don’t know anything recognizable. Seriously.

 (Post “The Search” graphic novel. This one gave me hell. )

 

Few people are privy to the knowledge that Fire Lord Zuko’s favorite color is blue. He loved all shades of the color, most of them having been one time or another by a certain water bending master. There was one shade, however, that could erase any and all coherent thought from his mind. Cobalt blue.

                                           -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Zuko was not good at refusing his mother anything; even if every instinct screamed “bad idea,” it was no use. That was how he had ended up hosting a party with his family and Team Avatar at the beach house on Ember Island. The happiness on his mother’s face was proof positive that no matter the headache that would come from this party, it was worth it ten-fold. Hugs were shared as his friends finally arrived – a Team Avatar group hug ensued to Zuko’s protest. He avoided Appa, not wanting to smell of bison slobber for the rest of the day. No one mentioned Mai’s absence, sensing a sore subject. The ladies, minus one Toph Bei Fong, prepped dinner for that night. A dinner that included a fire-pit roasted chicken pig that had both Sokka and Zuko’s mouth salivating at the thought. The Avatar countered that it wasn’t necessary for them to cook it, since they had plenty of other non-meat foods being prepared. This was readily discounted by Sokka.

Everyone spent the day lounging about in beach chairs or playing games of kuai ball, with the exception of Katara. Zuko kept an eye out for her but it seemed she was busy still prepping food for the evening, having shoed Suki and Ursa from the kitchen. When the sun began to set Ikem, Zuko and Sokka lifted the chicken pig from the pit. As Ikem began carving the chicken pig, the ladies brought out the delicious side dishes Katara had spent most of the day preparing. Still, Katara was nowhere to be seen. Suki announced that she would be out in a minute - Katara was just going to change into some fresh clothes instead of the ones she had been cooking in all day. As Iroh passes around drinks, of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties, Katara finally made her appearance… and what an appearance it was. She was dressed in a halter top that ended just below her breasts and a sarong hugged her hips, riding low on the right one where it was tied off. A tantalizing slit showed off her leg as she walked. Both pieces of clothing had been dyed a vibrant cobalt blue with a pattern of white hibiscus flowers along the hem of the sarong. A strangled sound rumbled in his throat as Zuko openly stared at the water bender. Beside him Iroh coughed to get his attention, though a volcano could have erupted and Zuko wouldn’t have given a damn.

Sokka caught his friend staring and gaping like a fish. The Water Tribe warrior’s eye brows shot up is forehead when he realized that _Katara_ was the object of Zuko’s ogling. Sokka looked to Aang to see what his reaction to Katara’s outfit was. The air bender waved excitedly to his girlfriend, but definitely didn’t have the same reaction as Zuko. Sokka snorted. She hadn’t caught Aang’s attention like she’d planned, but she sure as hell caught the Fire Lord’s. His gaze moved back to Zuko, who had regained some of his composure. Oh the sweet, sweet blackmail.

Everyone finally settled down to eat and Iroh regaled them with stories from his youth, jokes and a lament that he hadn’t thought to bring his tsungi horn for Zuko to play. Zuko glared at his uncle for outing that he could play the tsungi horn. Small talk broke out between individuals as the light in the sky began to fade. Sokka had been watching the stolen glances that Zuko had been giving Katara all night, his blackmail growing to epic proportions. Then, of all the people, _Ursa_ gave him an opening to fan the flames.

“Katara dear, I must say that you look lovely.”

“Yeah, Zuko. Doesn’t she look nice?” Sokka asked, his face a mask of innocence.

Zuko choked on his drink, which Sokka guessed was likely alcoholic. Everyone else’s reactions were a complete bonus that Sokka hadn’t planned on. Toph howled with laughter, Suki bit her lip hard to keep from doing the same. Iroh pat Zuko on the back with one hand, and hid his smile behind a tea cup with the other. Amusingly, Aang and Kiyi had the same confused expressions. Katara squirmed a bit where she sat, her face flushing as she glanced Zuko’s way. Oh, this just kept getting better and better for Sokka. Ikem sent him a look that was probably meant as a warning, but Sokka wasn’t quite sober enough to heed it. Aang tilted his head to the side and looked Zuko’s way. For a moment, Sokka had thought maybe he had caught on. But no.

“Yeah. Doesn’t she, Zuko?” Aang’s puppy-love struck gaze shifted to Katara, missing the evil look Zuko sent his way.

The evening wore on with a semi-tense atmosphere as Zuko refused to talk to anyone, just sat there and muttered into his glass. Slowly the older members of the party, and the youngest, found their way to their rooms up at the beach house leaving only Team Avatar on the beach. Zuko had gotten up to build them a fire when Toph suddenly grabbed Aang by the collar and dragged him off to do some sand bending training, giving Katara a chance to reach over and smack her brother.

“That was so immature, Sokka.” She hissed at him when Aang was out of ear shot.

“Hey, the kid didn’t realize Fire Lord hot pants over there was checking you out,” Sokka waved his hand dismissively, “No harm done.”

Zuko wanted to take a piece of wood he was using for the fire pit and hit Sokka over the head with it. Repeatedly. Igniting the fire and sitting back down, he tried not to look at Katara or notice how the fire made her russet skin glow. He failed, of course. Sokka sniggered.

“Man, you have the hots for my sister.” The blue-eyed young man nudged Suki with a grin, “Hots, get it? ‘cause you’re a firebender.”

Suki rolled her eyes, “Most brothers would be on the war path if one of their friends was attracted to their younger sister. What gives?”

“It’s their liquidy-hotness.” He said, as if that would explain everything. When they all stared at him, he decided to explain further. “Zuko and Katara make more sense than Aang and Katara. You see, Aang and my sister are all sugary sweetness and oogies. Zuko and Katara? I guess I just see the potential for something more than oogies and puppy dog looks. Not… that I wanna think of my sister and you… doing… things.”

Zuko stared at his friend, dumbfounded. That explanation, excluding the end there, sounded completely logical and that fact was so startling that it got his mind working. Why did Sokka have to make sense when he was drunk? Too bad that Katara chose that moment to shift her position, the sarong riding higher on her thighs in a way that just made his brain stop functioning. Katara blushed and Sokka laughed again. Zuko would never be able to look at that shade of blue again without images of Katara coming to mind.

“What’s so funny?” Aang asked as he and Toph, both thoroughly covered in sand, walked into the glow of the fire light.

“Just adult stuff you wouldn’t understand, Twinkletoes.” The blind girl grinned and punched him in the arm.

“Hey, I would so understand!” Aang countered, rubbing his arm and scowling.

“Sure, sure.”

Team Avatar collectively agreed that it was time for them all to go to bed, before the night descended into utter chaos. They each packed up what they could, doused the fire and started on their way toward the beach house. Zuko hung back and caught Katara’s wrist to keep her from going. She looked down at his hand, which was warm against her cool skin, and then looked into his equally warm eyes. In his eyes she saw desire and raw attraction, and a little bit of uncertainty. Katara felt herself growing hot under his gaze despite the cool night breeze. Aang had never given her a look like that, and she cursed herself for it but it sent a thrill through her body.

“You do look beautiful, by the way. You… you always do.” Zuko lowered his gaze, calming himself, “And, well, I’m sorry.”

Before she could protest that he needn’t be sorry, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips and fled inside. She realized he had been apologizing for the kiss preemptively. That one small kiss making her as confused as the last time they were on Ember Island, but when someone else has kissed her. Stupid boys. Stupid island. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was over a year until Zuko saw Katara again, sitting in his uncle’s tea shop as he came out from the back. She was sitting there, a cup of tea in hand and wearing a cobalt blue cheongsam that made him stop. He stared, tray of tea cups wobbling precariously in his hands. As the tea tray tipped dangerously, Iroh took it from his hand and motioned for him to sit. As he sat down it a collective sigh of disappointment from a group of teenage girls at a nearby table. They had no idea that “Lee” was Fire Lord Zuko. Ignorance is bliss, she supposed.

“Hi.” Zuko greeted, unsure of what else to say.

“How are you, Zu—Uh, Lee?”

“I’m okay. So... Where’s Aang?”

“He’s probably near or just arriving in Gaoling. To see Toph’s parents.” She mused, “That’s where they were headed the last time I saw them.”

“Why would he and Toph be..?” Confusion creased his brow, “Oh… oh!”

“Yeah.” She agreed, once he figured it out.

“Well,” He rubbed his chin, “Are you free tonight?”

“Are you asking me out?”

 “Yes. I am.”

“Then yes, I’m free tonight.”


	10. Melancholy

Standard disclaimers apply. I don’t know anything recognizable. Seriously. 

Takes place in/around the episode “The Old Masters”)

 

Katara’s mind wouldn’t let her sleep; it played every possible scenario in which they would lose this war. She needed to move a bit, distract herself somehow. Brushing aside the tent flap, she strolled through the White Lotus camp. The few guards on watch nodded her way but made no move to engage her, which she thanked the spirits for. She tried to not focus on the White Lotus and the confusion of seeing Bumi, Piandao and Master Pakku together. Katara’s blue eyes searched for somewhere out of the way, but close enough to the camp so that no one would come after her; somewhere she could stretch and maybe do some yoga to clear her head. The water bender passed the edge of camp and then some, getting her arms loose and stretching her legs with each stride. It was at this point that she spotted a figure seated on the ground ahead. Even from where she had stopped, Katara knew that it was Zuko. The cool night breeze caused a shiver to run down her spine and an involuntary hiss to escape her lips.

Zuko tensed when he heard the noise behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, his golden eyes landed upon Katara. She waved a hand hesitantly at him. He motioned with his head for her to join him. As she settled down beside him the breeze rustled her hair, the loose locks tickling against Zuko’s forearm before Katara could get them under control. The fire bender sighed. He knew that he should be feeling more up lifted than he was, after meeting with his uncle. He couldn’t shake the melancholy air about him, however. He felt a gentle hand upon his knee, a shared strength between them in a touch. Zuko placed his hand upon hers, giving it a light squeeze in thanks.

Katara smiled when Zuko squeezed her hand. While not what she had in intended to do to settle her mind, she felt calmer than she had before with something to do – trying to get Zuko out of the funk he was in. Not knowing that possessed her to do so, Katara laid her head upon Zuko’s strong shoulder. Perhaps some silly part of her was encouraged by his response to her touch, or the thought that if a hand on his knee had brought comfort in knowing she was there being closer to him would do more. She wasn’t even sure if it had been for Zuko or herself that she had done it, though it was obviously too late to play it off as an accident now. Katara held her breath, unsure as to how the fire bender would react to this latest touch.

Zuko felt his heart skip a beat when Katara’s head landed on his shoulder. He most certainly hadn’t expected that, to say the least. Letting go of her hand he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to his side so that they were both more comfortable. A fresh wave of emotion came out of nowhere to assault his already weary heart. This newest feeling, on he had tried to stamp down before, was almost too much for him to handle. Everything came crashing down on him. His broken family, his banishment, the so-called quest to find his honor, the time he spent as a refugee in the Earth Kingdom, betraying his uncle and Katara in Ba Sing Se. His struggle upon realizing he needed to join the Avatar, and then getting up the courage to actually do it. Zuko felt the tell-tale sting of his sinuses, but refused to cry. He felt a shuddered breath from Katara tickle his neck as she curled closer to his side. Her soft voice broke the silence between them at last.

“I’m frightened, Zuko.” She murmured, “Frightened for us, for Aang… for the whole entire world. It’s all so much.”

“I know, I am too.” He replied, holding her tighter to his body, “We’re all so young. How do they suppose we’re to succeed in stopping a damn war that’s been going on for a hundred years?”

“I just…” Katara’s hand gripped his shirt, her voice watery, “I can’t lose more people that I love. Not my family, or Aang and Toph, not you.”

Zuko grabbed her around the waist with a second arm and gently laid the two of them back onto the ground. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and cried. He too let his tears fall as he kissed the crown of her head. They stayed like that for neither knew how long, lessening their sorrow by sharing it with one another. Eventually Katara propped herself up onto her elbow, sniffling away the last of her tears. Zuko reached up a hand and brushed away the tracks of water from her russet cheeks. He then sat up as well, trying to meet her eyes but she refused to look up at him. Only when he placed a hand under her chin and lifted gently did she look him in the eye.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to dump all that on you when you obviously had enough on your mind.” Katara apologized.

Zuko found himself suddenly very self-conscious with his hand cupped around Katara’s chin. Throwing caution to the wind he closed the distance between them. Just before their lips met he glimpsed her eyes widen, and then flutter closed in anticipation of the kiss. It was a short kiss, but it was so many things rolled all into one. It was cool and yet warm. Innocent, yet with a touch of passion. Soft and firm. It took him on a wondrous journey, but somehow felt like he was coming home. Zuko pulled broke the kiss to look in her eyes, there he saw all the emotions he felt mirrored in her own.  
Katara certainly hadn’t expected the kiss, any more than Zuko had expected her head on his shoulder earlier. One moment Zuko’s face showed that adorably awkward look she found endearing and the next his warm lips had found hers. Kissing him was like nothing she had felt or imagined before. She knew it was wrong, but she found herself comparing it to Aang’s kisses. This was so very much more. Zuko’s lips were rough against her, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The two kisses she had received from Aang felt extremely childish when measured against Zuko’s. When he broke the kiss, she searched his eyes as he searched hers. She was grateful that the melancholy in them had lessened.

Suddenly awkward Zuko was back, gaping like and fish and stuttering over his own boldness. She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. He rubbed the side of his neck sheepishly, but grinned back at her. Zuko pushed himself to his feet and helped her up. They walked hand in hand until they reached the outer-most edge of the camp. More than one guard had noticing their approach and joined hands. An eye brow or two were raised, though none of them said anything until the pair was out of ear shot. The Grand Master would definitely be informed in the morning of that particular development. Zuko glanced around swiftly before kissing her again once they had reached her tent.

“Sleep well, Zuko.”

“You too, Katara.”


	11. Motorcycle

Standard disclaimers apply. I don’t know anything recognizable. Seriously.

 

 

                When Sokka got home from his date with Suki he was not expecting to find his best friend and younger sister sitting on the living room floor, a half-eaten pizza and an empty two liter of soda between them, playing video games. A crash and squealing of tires from the stereo alerted him to the flat screen, where Resident Evil 6. Since when did his sister play video games with someone other than himself? Hell, he hadn’t even known that she had gotten RE6.

                “A freaking helicopter? Really?” Katara yelled at the TV screen, gripping her controller tighter.

                “No kidding!” Zuko groused, “Shooting from the back of a motorcycle? I envy you not, Kat.”

                “Can it, Zuko. Pay attention to your driving, would you?”

                Sokka folding his arms across his chest; bemused that neither of them had noticed him enter the room. His sister made amusing high-pitched yelps as her character fired behind the motorcycle at the helicopter. There was a tense moment soon after where the motorcycle burst out into the open, only to be stared down by a J’Avo wielding a rocket launcher. Zuko yelled, “shoot, shoot, shoot!” followed by Katara’s “I’m trying, damn it!” Sokka really should be recording this on his cell, it was just too freaking hilarious. He pulled out his phone, opened the camera and hit record. His sister managed to shoot the thing, however, allowing them to continue on the next portion of their chase. The next scene was worse. Zuko had to drive while Katara had to take care of a whole new set of baddies on motorcycles that were pursuing them. Never had he heard his best friend or sister swear so much. He winced when cars and trucks, flaming and not, appeared as obstacles to foil Zuko’s driving skills. Just when Sokka thought it couldn’t get worse, the helicopter showed up again. Now Katara’s character dangled precariously from the helicopter as she mashed the O button, praying her hand wouldn’t give out until the scene was over. Thankfully -or not- the chase continued now with the bad guys tossing Molotov cocktails at them. Oh look, there was the helicopter again! Zuko’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the controller, concentrating.

                When the helicopter shot out the semi carrying cars on its trailer, Sokka knew they were in trouble. Seconds later a car tumbled into view on screen, coming right for them. “Whoa!” he shouted, scaring both of them. The split second that Zuko looked over his shoulder at his friend was all it took. The words “You Are Dead” followed by “Continue Yes/No ?” appeared on screen.

                “Shit.” Zuko swore.

                “Uh, my bad man.”

                “You seriously suck, Sokka.” Katara scowled, “Do you know how long we’ve been trying to beat Jake and Sherry’s story?”

                “Seriously, dude. We’ve never been that far.” Zuko ran his hand through his hair, locks sticking up at random angles when he removed his hand.

                “No, I – Wait!” Sokka looked between the two of them. From the look of things, this was something that they did on a regular basis. So how had he never caught them before this? “How long has this… video game-ness been going on?”

                “Um, since you’ve been dating Suki.” His sister replied, sheepish.

                “Six months?” Sokka glared at Zuko, “The hell, man? I get a girlfriend and suddenly you think it’s cool to spend time with my baby sister, ALONE?”

                “He’s better at Resident Evil 5 than you are.” Katara snorted, “He doesn’t get Chris killed by watching headshots in my screen.”

                “Yeah. I mean, it’s not like we’ve been dating this _whole_ time either.” Zuko commented, and then froze when he realized he’d said something he shouldn’t have.

                “What do you mean, ‘this whole time’?” Sokka made strangling motions with his hands, “You’re dating my SISTER?”

                “Real smooth, Zuko.” Katara commented. “You might want to run now.”

                Zuko bolted for the front door with Sokka in hot pursuit. Hakoda dodged the two boys as they ran from the house. Placing his keys in the bowl on top of one of the speakers, he raised an eye brow at his daughter.

                “I take it that your brother knows now.”

                “Yep.”


	12. Socks

Standard disclaimers apply. I don’t know anything recognizable. Seriously.

 

 

Sokka was never sure how to explain to his friends that his sister liked socks. No… “like” wasn’t strong enough of a word. Katara was downright obsessed. He couldn’t remember how or why her obsession had started. The “not quite sure how to explain” feeling was the same when his friend Zuko showed up to do homework from the classes they had together at the local community college. They had just settled on the couch, their text books and notes spread out on the coffee table in front of them, when Katara came down stairs. Zuko’s brow creased in confusion when he turned to look at her, not that Sokka honestly could blame him. His sister was currently wearing a Captain American tee, black shorts and knee-high blue and red striped socks. She seemed completely oblivious to them until she reached the last step.

“Oh, whoops. Didn’t know we had company.” Katara pulled out one of her earbuds, “Nice to meet you, I’m Katara.”

“Uh, Zuko.” He blinked, still confused. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“Cool. You guys want a soda while I’m getting one for myself?”

                                                               -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

That Friday, after a particularly long and grueling day of classes, Zuko and Sokka found Katara in the living room watching The Fellowship of the Ring and painting her toe nails. From what Sokka had told him of Katara’s sock obsession, which wasn’t much, Zuko really shouldn’t have been surprised by what was on her feet.

“Are those toeless socks?” Zuko’s voice held a note of disbelief.

Katara looked up as Frodo proclaimed his name as Underhill at the gate of Bree, “Of course they are.” She wiggled her sparkly blue toe nails and showed off her blue, white and grey argyle patterned toeless socks.

“You’ll have to forgive her,” Sokka said, leading Zuko upstairs to his room to play video games, “She’s just plain weird.”

“I heard that, you jerk!” She shouted up at his retreating form.

                                                          -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Over the next two weeks Zuko had seen more types of socks than he knew, or wanted to know, existed. He could tell that Sokka was embarrassed about his sister’s obsession, though he couldn’t honestly figure out why. It wasn’t as if she had weird facial piercings or did drugs or something else equally bizarre. They were just socks. So far he had been most amused by the periwinkle toe socks with fuzzy balls on each toe, which she was currently pairing with grey fleece shorts and an old blue Speed Racer t-shirt. Zuko was beginning to suspect she had a thing for graphic tees and the color blue as well.

Currently the three of them were in various seats, eating Chinese takeout. Katara and Sokka’s father was working late at the police station and they had all decided on watching a movie. Katara had insisted that they watch How to Train Your Dragon, to Sokka’s protest. The tie was broken when Zuko said he really didn’t mind the movie, he actually appreciated Hiccup’s sense of humor. He was about to take a bite of his Chow Mein when Katara waved her fork at him.

“Hey, do you have SnapChat?”

“Yeah, why?”

"Because. Now give me your Snapchat name, doofus.”

                                                          -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

By mid-terms Zuko had gotten his cell phone taken away from him a total of four times thanks to Katara. She would randomly send a snap of her current pair of socks for the day, or ask his opinion on which pair to wear that day. At this point, he wasn’t sure that he had ever seen the same pair of socks more than once, and it sort of frightened him that one person could own that many pairs of socks. He supposed that there could be worse things, or more expensive things to spend her money on. Shoes for one thing, or even jewelry. He dug his cell out of his backpack and wasn’t surprised to see two snaps from Katara. The first was a picture of her smiling face and a thumbs up, the text reading “Good luck!” The second was the obligatory photo of her socks. Today’s pair was Doctor Who ankle socks, blue and grey stripes with the word TARDIS on the side. She was into far too many fandoms. Perhaps that was why she had so many socks.

                                                            -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 Winter vacation brought misery to Katara. In trying to prep for dinner one night she had been reaching for a heavy sauce pot. She overbalanced on the step ladder, falling. The sauce pot had landed on her ankle and foot, resulting in having several fractures in her metatarsal bones and a broken pinky toe. She was currently seated on the couch, her foot propped up on several pillows on the coffee table. Her crutches leaned against the side of the couch, but slid to the floor before she could catch them. Curses flew from her mouth as Katara tried in vain to reach them from where she was seated. Zuko stared blankly, a peppermint hot cocoa in hand. He hadn’t heard her curse before, much less like what she was currently doing. He cleared his throat to announce his presence. Katara whipped her head about, a blush staining her cheeks as she realized he had heard her vulgar language. Sitting down next to her on the couch, he handed her the cocoa. She sipped the minty, chocolatey goodness and rolled her eyes back in satisfaction. She missed the blank stare of Zuko’s in doing so. On her right, un-casted foot was a white sock.

 

“I didn’t think you’d ever own something as plain and boring as a white sock.”

“I know, it really sucks.” She sighed, “My cast is a plain, boring white so I figured I’d have a sock to match.”

Zuko thought a moment. The plain sock looked thoroughly ridiculous on her foot, compared to her normally outrageous socks. It was the equivalent of the Mad Hatter not having his hat. Katara watched him think, trying not to laugh at the funny faces he was making, as he concentrated. Suddenly he grinned, and Katara wasn’t sure if she should be worried or not.

“How about this? I’ll draw on your cast. Anything you want,” He paused, “Within reason of course.”

It was a brilliant idea. She had seen some of the doodles in the margins of his note paper, and he was fairly talented. Thinking of the possibilities, she remembered a box of colored Sharpies in her room that were begging to be used on her cast. She grinned and explained the location of the Sharpies, and he readily complied with getting them from upstairs. When Hakoda came home from work he found them both on the couch, facing each other and with Katara’s casted foot in Zuko’s lap. Sharpies were scattered about the couch, floor and coffee table.

“Hello, Zuko. Where’s Sokka?” he asked.

“With Suki, I think.” Zuko replied, looking up from his doodle of the Cheshire Cat. “I haven’t actually seen him today.”

“Can I ask what you’re doing here then?” Hakoda demanded, edging around to see what the boy was doing to his daughter’s cast.

“Don’t be rude, dad. See? Zuko’s making my cast not-so-boring!” The grin on her face melted Hakoda’s heart, after having seen her so depressed since getting the cast on. “Now it’s on its way to being awesome instead of boring.”

It was then that Hakoda got a good look at the cast. Two other drawings, one of Iron Man’s mask and the other the Triforce from the Legend of Zelda games, joined the Cheshire Cat. Zuko flexed his hand as he finished up the doodle.

“All right, gimp. I think I’ve done all that my hand can take for today.”

                                                             -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Three weeks later saw her beautiful cast removed, which she had sent a snap to Zuko of before and after. Katara would be confined to a walking cast for another three weeks, but at least she could wear her socks again. Heck, she was thankful to be able to sleep in her own room stead of the downstairs guestroom. Katara stretched out on her bed, foot propped up on a pillow, reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It was her birthday today, so she was completely allowed to be lazy. She was about to start a new chapter when a knock sounded at her door. She yelled for whomever it was to come in. Katara sat up when Zuko entered the door, a small bag in his hand. He made his way to her bed and sat down on the edge.

“Here, happy birthday.” Zuko set the bag into her hands.

“Aw, you shouldn’t have.” She peaked inside the bag and noticed two pairs of socks inside. Katara pulled out one pair and then the other. Both pairs were above the knee, one pair was white with images of the leg and foot bones and the other was a black pair was a bow at the top and crossed lace pattern down the front. She squealed happily and hugged Zuko. Footsteps pounded down the hall as Sokka raced to see what she was squealing about. Katara let Zuko go as Sokka reached her door.

“Dude, what are you doing in my sister’s room?” He glared suspiciously.

“Giving her birthday present to her.” He replied, Katara showing off her new pairs of socks.

“Dude, don’t encourage her.”

                                                             -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After six months of knowing Katara, Zuko was convinced that he had seen it all when it came to socks. They had become close friends, closer than he and Sokka were. They had weekly movie nights, with Sokka supervision of course. Zuko had laughed it off, reminding him that he and Katara were just friends. When he arrived at their place on Saturday, he was greeted by an excited Katara at the door. She must be in such a good mood because they were going to continue their Harry Potter marathon tonight. As he followed her into the living room, one thing stood out – the room was suspiciously Sokka-free. Katara spun to face him, grinning.

 “Life is too short to wear matching socks.” And with that piece of wisdom, she gave him a quick kiss. As she turned back to sit on the couch, Zuko noticed that her socks were indeed mismatched today.


	13. Unrequited

Standard disclaimers apply.

 

 

Upon arriving at the palace twilight had already descended, but they could still easily see the water and scorched ground that marked the site of Katara and Zuko’s fight against Azula. It had taken nearly half an hour to find where Zuko and Katara were at, and that was only with the help of some palace guards. The guards, whom Sokka was weary of, explained that the prince had been injured in the fight against Azula and was most likely resting. Sokka was bolstered by the fact that the guards referred to Zuko as “prince,” nodded gratefully as they led Team Avatar to the room. That was where they had found the two benders asleep on the small bed. Katara lay curled against Zuko’s side, her hand splayed on his bandaged chest and Zuko’s arm wrapped around her waist loosely. On the floor was Zuko’s discarded shirt, the front torn and burned in a way that would explain the way his chest was injured. Suki tried to hide the sight before her from Aang’s view, but it was too late. The crushed look upon his face said that he had seen.

Without a word the Avatar fled. Toph shook her head and muttered about how he always ran away before following him. Suki sighed and eased Sokka into the lone chair in the room, shut the door and returned to sit on the floor by her boyfriend’s side. Both of them dozed off shortly after. A pain-filled hiss startled them, and Katara, awake. Katara bolted up and pulled the water from the night stand around her hand, letting the tell-tale glow wash over Zuko’s chest. In her focus on Zuko, she failed to notice her brother and his girlfriend. As Zuko’s breathing eased, she finally felt someone’s eyes upon her. Katara glanced over her shoulder and nearly cried out in delight. She muffled the sound with her hand, looking around her Aang and Toph.

“They’re both fine,” Sokka whispered, “Well, sort of. Aang saw you and the jerk bender all cuddled and he took off.”

Katara sighed. She hadn’t expected any one to see her sleeping next to Zuko, much less Aang. She felt a tugging on her waist from Zuko and heard him murmur her name in his sleep, loud enough for it to be heard by her brother and Suki. Both raised their eye brows questioningly at her, and she blushed. Katara would definitely have some explaining to do after this. That was when she noticed the splint on Sokka’s leg. Removing Zuko’s arm from around her as gently as possible, she made her way to kneel before her brother. The glow of her healing abilities shone again as her hands moved over Sokka’s leg. She couldn’t do much for the bone, but the ligaments and muscle would heal much better with her help.

“The fight. How’d he get so messed up?” Sokka questioned, nodding toward Zuko.

“He…” Katara swallowed the lump in her throat, tears forming in her eyes.

Zuko groaned again before she could go on. His fist clenched and twisted the sheets, “Ka-Kata... ra… No.”

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here, I’m safe.” She murmured as she moved back to his side. “We’re both safe.”

                                           -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 

Toph had closed in on Aang by the time he reached the scorched court yard. “If you aren’t going to face your problems head-on like an earth bender, you had better turn around and face me right now, Twinkletoes.”

“Why do you insist on calling me that?” He turned and yelled at her.

“Because you haven’t earned a manlier nickname, that’s why.” She stomped her foot, causing a small tremor, “Don’t change the subject. Why did you run?”

“Zuko and Katara were sleeping together on that bed.”

“Yes, sleeping. Your point?”

“She’s supposed to be my girl when this is over. Zuko had his arm all over her.”

“Big whoop. You ran because another kid took your favorite toy away.” Toph snorted, “Grow up, Twinkletoes. Katara isn’t some possession. Listen up! Did she ever SAY she was going to be yours?”

“No, but-”

“Right. You think just because you kissed her a couple times, that means she’s going to be with you forever? Get real. This isn’t a fairy tale, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“But I love her, Toph.” Aang slumped to the ground.

Toph flopped unceremoniously down as well, picking at her toes. “Do you really, or are you just infatuated with the first girl you saw?”

“I-I, that is...”

“You hesitated. There’s your answer.” Toph switched to picking at the toes on her other foot.

“When did you get so wise?”

Toph flicked a pebble at his forehead, “I’ve always been this wise. Don’t you forget it!”

                                             -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

On the day of Zuko’s coronation, Mai wandered the palace halls toward his room. At this time he should be getting dressed for the ceremony soon and she wanted to surprise him before he left for the ceremony. It had been easy for her uncle to release her from prison once Azula and her retinue had left. She felt guilty about not getting Ty Lee out right away, but her uncle insisted she leave as soon as possible. At least her uncle knew Ty Lee was her friend and would release her on his own. Mai paused briefly before the door to Zuko’s suite of rooms. Opening the door, she failed to find him at first but quickly moved on toward the second room. Just before she entered she heard voices. Creeping forward she spied the Avatar’s water bender standing before Zuko, who was shirtless. She prodded his bandaged chest in a few places, gauging his pain level and asking where it hurt worse. That’s right, Mai thought, she was a healer. Things started to make more sense until Zuko gently grabbed hold of the hand Katara was using to inspect his chest and brought it to his lips in a gentle kiss. Cold fury swept through Mai, followed by irritation at herself for not thinking he could ever find someone else to love him but her. Turning on her heel she stalked toward the door, stopping only to pin the old painting of Zuko and herself to the wall with one of her stilettos stuck through Zuko’s head.

When Mai slammed the door it startled the couple, who ran into the other room. That was when they found the painting pinned to the wall. “You know what they say, Hell hath no fury...” Katara commented, “You may want to double the guard, just in case.”


	14. Dragons

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or Pokemon/Pokemon GO. Sorry it's short, I couldn't think of anything else. XD

 

Dragons

 

They were settled into their favorite spot in the park, under a large oak tree near the jungle gym that doubled as a PokeStop. Other people milled about the area, but the regulars knew well enough to not come near their designated spot. It was a nice enough summer day; not too hot, a nice breeze and a few lazy clouds in the sky. Katara scrolled through her list of Pokemon, almost exclusively water- and ice-types and hummed happily when she spotted one of her cutest captures: Dratini. Zuko grunted beside her, and a quick glace his way informed her that he was checking out her screen. Ah, yes. Dratini was a point of contention between the two of them.

“How the hell can that little thing be a dragon?” Zuko grumped, his eyes back to his own phone.

“It just is.” Katara raspberried him, “Why do we have to go over this every time?”

“Because my freaking Charizard isn’t a dragon and it breathes _fire_. That’s why.”

It was the same argument every time she even so much as looked at her beloved Dratini. Katara’s blue eyes rolled in exasperation. She didn’t know why Charizard was listed as flying- and fire-type while Dratini was a dragon-type, and had said as much each time Zuko brought it up.

“Oh c’mon, Katara. It swims in the water; it has gigantic eyes and is far too adorable to be a dragon.” Zuko  huffed as he spun the PokeStop to collect more Pokeballs and a revive. “It’s more like a sea serpent than a dragon.”

“Give it a rest, Zuko. Nothing you say to me is going to change the fact that Dratini is a dragon-type and Charizard is not.” Katara was about to go on when she spotted her brother and his girlfriend as they walked toward them.

“Hey, how’s my baby sis?” Sokka asked as he and Suki sat down near the other two. “Catch anything good?”

“Not today, but I’m not really interested in the Pidgey and Caterpie that seem to be hanging about.” Katara replied as Sokka and Suki opened their Pokemon GO apps. “Ooh! Wait—Eevee!”

Sokka rolled his eyes much as his sister had done earlier, knowing that the girl wanted a Vaporeon more than just about anything. He noticed the grumpy look upon his friend’s face and raised an eyebrow at him. “You okay man?”

Zuko opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as Katara squealed upon capturing an Eevee with a high CP. He cleared his throat and started again as the girls cooed over the Eevee. “Just pondering why my damn Charizard isn’t a dragon-type.”

“Damn. You gotta let that go, man.” Sokka replied with a shake of his head, “You’re going to get an ulcer or something.”

“He’s right, Zuko.” Suki quipped, “It isn’t healty.”

The four of them fell into silence as they relaxed under the oak. Katara’s head rested on Zuko’s shoulder, which caused Sokka to give the other male the stink eye and Suki to not-so-gently elbow her boyfriend. They were eventually joined by Aang and Toph, the latter of whom grumbled about the lack of rock-type Pokemon and how they needed to find a new spot. Aang sat happily as he caught the Pidgey that Katara had earlier disregarded.

“Do either of you two think Charizard should be a dragon-type?” Zuko blurted out and earned himself a smack to the arm from the blue-eyed girl next to him. “What? It’s a valid question.”

“I can see it.” Aang commented cheerfully.

“Oh please. It’s a giant flying lizard that breathes fire.” Toph scoffed.

“…you just described a dragon, Toph.” Aang said quietly, hoping the strong girl wouldn’t hit him.

“Damn, guess I did. Yup, Charizard should be a dragon.” The dark-haired girl amended.

“See! I told you, Katara!” Zuko shouted, “Now what?”

“Now I’m going to go over to the other side of the park, since your head has inflated and is taking up so much space.” She grinned and stood up to stretch. “It still doesn’t change the fact that my Dratini is a dragon, and your Charizard is just a flying flamethrower.”


End file.
